Essential Videos 7 - White Wilderness

Its been a while since I've added to my list of "Essential Videos." But thanks to my friend, Hollywood Jeff, I was reminded of the following clip:



Greatest film clip, EVER, don't care that it was faked. I first saw this clip in high school, during biology my junior year (the only redeeming moment of that God-forsaken class). The following year, in my physics class, when we were asked what film loop we wanted to watch on our last day of classes, the answer was almost unanimous- the lemming video from biology the year before (and it beat out the Tacoma Narrows Bridge collapse, which could also make an appearance in my "Essential Videos" list).

Essential Videos 6 - Never Give Up

There are inspirational speeches, and then there's Jim Valvano speech at the 1993 ESPY Awards.



I get chills every time I hear this. I remember watching this when it first aired, and even though I knew nothing about Jim Valvano at the time, I was still moved by it. All I knew then was that this was a guy dying of cancer who may be speaking for the last time (and who would die less than 2 months later).

Essential Videos 5 - Two-Ton Block Of Cheese

One of my favorite TV shows of all time (if not the favorite) is The West Wing. The following is a great scene where Chief of Staff Leo McGarry (the late, great John Spencer) talks about President Andrew Jackson and his two-ton block of cheese:



I could probably fill an entire blog with clips from this show, ranging from the ridiculous to the poignant, so I'll try and be judicious about the ones I include in the "Essential Videos" line so as to not incur West Wing overload.

Essential Videos 4 - Tiny Dancer

Elton John credits Cameron Crowe with reviving this song. Before Almost Famous, he rarely played it in concert; now, its one of his most popular songs.



I love how at first, it seems like the song is just underscoring the scene, but as it progresses, it becomes clear that the song is the scene. Simply the greatest movie-music scene in film history (though, this scene is a close second).

Essential Videos 3 - Tainted Love

One of my all-time favorite commercials, from the brilliant mind of Spike Jonze:

Essential Videos 2 - The Abduction

I have the Jackass DVD box set specifically for this scene:



Greatest. Bit. EVER.

Essential Videos 1 - Confrontation

There are lots of videos out there, clogging up Internet tubes left and right. From some dude getting hit in the nuts to some other dude getting hit in the nuts, if you can think it, someone's got a video of it (probably). With this series of posts ("Essential Videos"), I'll be showcasing the videos that I enjoy and can watch over and over (and have watched over and over). Basically, these were things I felt just had to be on my blog somewhere, and instead of working them into other posts, I decided to give them their own.

First up, the only thing worthwhile to ever come from the Megan Mullally Show:



How I Met Your Mother is one of my favorite shows in television, and this is one reason why.